


Florence

by GreatestChange



Series: Roll With the Punches [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-12 10:13:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19944472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreatestChange/pseuds/GreatestChange
Summary: Korra and Asami finally get their long-deserved vacation in Florence. But being in a different country doesn't mean they've left all their problems behind in New York.





	Florence

**Author's Note:**

> This story is attached to the [Roll With the Punches series](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11009700/chapters/24529695), so if you haven't read at least the main story yet, you might want to consider reading that before jumping into this.
> 
> **Trigger warnings are located in the end notes for those who need it, but if not, don't scroll down because it's kind of spoiler-y.**

**art by[sailorcuba](https://sailorcuba.tumblr.com/) on tumblr ❤️**

Several bags sat piled near the door, four of them Asami’s and two for Korra (one being her carry-on). When Korra finished stacking them together neatly, she walked back over to the living room where Asami sat on the couch, keeping warm in front of the fireplace. 

“I think we’re all set,” Korra told her as she plopped herself down. 

Asami smiled and swung her legs over Korra’s lap, to which Korra responded by dragging her close enough so that the bottom of her thighs covered the top of hers. With a sigh, Asami leaned against her. 

“Just a couple more hours left and then we’ll officially be on vacation,” she said. “For a second, I almost thought it’d never come.” 

“I know,” Korra replied. “It’s been quite the ride getting to this point, but now we can finally move on to bigger and better things.” 

“If it really is over,” Asami mused. 

“It is,” Korra reaffirmed. “And it’s all in the past, so now let’s focus on more important things, like sipping cocktails at nine in the morning.” 

“We can’t drink cocktails,” Asami reminded her. 

“Well I can’t, but you definitely could if you wanted to.” 

“Nope. You don’t drink and I don’t drink. That was the deal.” 

“We technically never made a deal. I promise you I won’t fall apart if you decide to have a bourbon every once in a while.” 

Asami regarded her seriously. “It’s not going to happen. I’m choosing to stick by you and your decision to be sober, and that's it. No ifs or buts about it.” 

Korra smiled. “I really have met my match when it comes to stubbornness.” 

“You didn’t figure that out 8 years ago?” 

Korra playfully put a hand over Asami’s face and shoved her into the couch, causing laughter to erupt from them both. Then Asami grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and pulled it away, only to force Korra into holding her around the waist. 

“Ugh. You’re such a cuddler,” Korra said in a fake, exasperated tone. 

“Don’t act like you don’t like it,” Asami replied. Humming, she closed her eyes and rested her head against Korra’s shoulder. The soothing sound of the sizzle and pop coming from the fireplace made her lethargic, and of course the feeling of Korra’s strong, warm arms around her didn’t help either. “This is cozy, isn’t it?”

“Mhm,” Korra sounded in approval. “I think this couch is the one thing I’m gonna miss while we’re gone.” 

“The one thing you’re going to miss is something from my place?” Asami asked. And for a second, she dared to hope. 

“I mean, yeah. What isn’t there to miss about this place? It’s so big, has a wonderful view, and you’ve got everything you need. It’s a lot better than my place, I’ll say.” 

Asami licked her lips in preparation to denounce Korra’s claim that she had ‘everything’ here and finally ask her the one thing she couldn’t bring herself to stop thinking about for the past few weeks… 

But then, of course, a knock came to the door. 

“Who’s that?” Korra asked. 

“I have no idea. Maybe my neighbor?” Asami sighed and got up, cursing the fact that their almost moment had been disturbed. She pulled the door open, ready to greet the random visitor, only to falter when she saw the most unexpected person on the other end. “Mako? What are you doing here?” 

Her longest friend stood there with his hands in his pockets, showcasing his stiff posture, and an indiscernible look on his face. 

“Are you free?" 

“How did you get in without a key?” Asami looked around in confusion. 

“A woman downstairs recognized me and let me in. I tried calling you.” 

“Maybe I didn’t answer for a reason,” Asami said, folding her arms. Although, in reality, she left her phone upstairs in her room. 

“Look, can we just talk, please?” 

“Now?” Her brows raised. “It’s nearly 11.” 

“I know. I just got off work, but—” 

He cut himself off, and Asami didn’t understand why until she felt Korra’s presence lingering behind her. 

“Oh, it’s you,” Korra said, not bothering to hold in her displeasure. 

Mako’s expression turned from indiscernible to annoyed in a matter of seconds. 

“What? Do you, like, live here now?” he asked rudely. 

“Why? Would that annoy you if I did? Because if so, then yes.” 

Mako squared his jaw, looking like was prepared to take another jab at her, but Asami quickly decided to intervene. 

“What did you want to talk about, Mako? We have an early flight to catch tomorrow, so it’ll have to be fast.” 

Mako looked over both their heads and noticed the suitcases in the hall. 

“You’re going somewhere?” he asked.

“Yeah. On a trip.”

“Is it out of state?” 

“We’re going to Italy.” 

Mako’s thick eyebrows scrunched together, making him appear disconcerted. “And you don’t think that might look a little suspicious? You just got cleared by the FBI a few weeks ago, and now you’re fleeing out of the county?” 

“I’m not fleeing,” Asami said defensively. “The trip was planned before the stuff with Raiko even happened. Besides, as you’ve already said, I’m cleared so what does it matter if I go on a little vacation?” 

Mako sighed in annoyance and shook his head. 

“Your father might’ve taken the fall for you, but that doesn’t mean you can just put all of this stuff behind you now. You don’t have him to fall back on if something else happens." 

“Hey, why don’t you back off?” Korra told him, her tone threatening. She put her hand against Asami’s back, but Asami barely felt it because of the sensation of a thousand needles poking into her skin at the mentioning of her father and his recent conspiring. 

“All I’m saying is that you got lucky with that,” Mako said, turning his attention back to Asami. 

“Is that all you came over here to tell me?” she responded dismissively. 

“No. That’s not—I just wanted to talk to you. Privately.” He spared Korra a glance. 

“Anything you want to say to me you can say in front of Korra,” Asami told him.

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Asami, I’m trying here,” he said. 

“Really? This is you trying? We haven’t even had a proper conversation since Christmas; not counting the time you barged over here and reprimanded Korra and myself, much like what you’re doing now. And I’m sick of it, Mako. I can’t deal with it anymore.” 

“Well, I can’t deal with this.” He pointed between the two of them. “You think it was easy for me to come over here knowing that you’re _still_ lying to me about things? And don’t get me started on whatever mess of hers you’re covering up.” 

“She’s not covering up anything for me,” Korra said, taking a few more steps forward until she stood in front of Asami. “Any mess I make, I can assure you I clean it up on my own without anyone’s help.” 

“And is this your confession to possibly committing a crime?” Mako asked her, stepping closer himself. “Because if so, I can happily take you down to the station so you can answer some questions.” 

Instead of backing down, Korra actually smiled at him. 

“Sorry, detective, but the only dirt you’re ever going to find on me is under the shoes I walk in.” 

Mako glared and prepared to take another step forward. 

“Okay, enough,” Asami projected, coming between them again and pressing against Mako’s chest to get him to walk back behind the line between the door and hall. “This isn’t an interrogation, and clearly anything you have to say now wouldn’t be genuine, so maybe you should just go.” 

“No, babe, it’s okay,” Korra said, causing Asami’s head to snap in her direction, a dawning look of confusion on her face. _Babe?_ “You two should finally talk, especially since we’re going to be gone for so long.” Korra leaned up and kissed her on the cheek, then pulled away to give Mako a smirk. “Night.” 

She walked off, leaving the two of them to stand there in the doorway awkwardly. When Asami finally turned to catch the look on Mako’s face, he’d been clenching his jaw so hard that at any moment it would shatter. 

Instead of letting him in, she stepped outside and left the door ajar. 

“Why do you have to challenge her like that?” she asked. 

“Really? I’m the one challenging her as if she didn’t just shove your relationship right in my face?” 

“Well, maybe if you didn’t get so hostile all the time she wouldn’t tease you so much. She’s been nothing but supportive of me these past couple of months, which is a lot more than I can say for you.” 

“Wow. So you’re just going to erase the thirteen years we’ve had just like that where I’ve had your back?” Mako asked. 

“No… All I’m saying is that I make one mistake and suddenly you’re treating me like I have the plague.” 

“I needed to be as far away from you during that case to not raise any suspicion,” Mako explained. “The chief questions me almost every week about why I didn’t take that promotion.” 

“Because it doesn’t make any sense why you wouldn’t,” Asami said. “You delivered all of the information and research, so it’s pretty ridiculous to refuse an offer as big as that.” 

“Oh, so now not taking a job because I have morals is ridiculous to you?” 

“That’s not what I said!” Asami raised her voice in the quiet hall. “Stop putting words in my mouth.”

Mako’s look of agitation grew and he rubbed a hand over his face. 

“I didn’t take that job for my own reasons, and I’m sure you can relate to that seeing as you’re withholding information, which—might I add—could get you into some serious trouble.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Asami said matter-of-factly. 

Mako scoffed and folded his arms. “Of course you don’t. Because that would mean having to rat your girlfriend out, wouldn’t it?” 

“I’ve already told you that Korra has nothing to do with what happened with Raiko and that still hasn’t changed,” Asami said, her voice teetering on the edge of a warning. 

Releasing a sigh, Mako shook his head in disappointment. 

“I think I’ve already proven how compromised I am when it comes to you. I haven’t exposed your secret yet so far, have I?” 

“No, you haven’t. And I appreciate that. But what I don’t appreciate is you using that as leverage against me.” 

“All I’m asking for here is the truth,” Mako said, his expression turning more desperate. “I think you owe me that at least. You made a big mess with all of this and I need to cover my own tracks as well as yours in case something happens.” 

“Nothing will happen.” 

“Dammit, Asami!” Mako gripped his hair, looking about ready to pull it out. 

“It’s over, Mako,” she told him. “I’m telling you that it’s for the best if we just move on from it. And if shit eventually does hit the fan then I’ll deal with it my way. As far as anyone else is concerned, you received an anonymous tip. It happens _all_ the time and no one bats an eyelash. So please just leave it alone.” 

“Asami.” Mako stepped forward, coming close to her face. “I’m begging you. Don’t let whatever’s going on with her drag you down. You’re too smart for this.” 

“Yes, I’m exactly aware of how smart I am,” Asami said, straightening her back and standing tall in her sea of defense. 

Mako stared back, his gaze hardening, but after a couple of seconds he fell back, sighing in defeat. 

“I guess you’re really prepared to die on that hill if it ever came to it,” he said. “I came here thinking that we could reach some sort of compromise and apologize to one another, but I guess there’s really no point to it anymore.” 

Asami swallowed and cleared her throat. “Yeah. Maybe there’s just some things neither of us will be sorry for.” 

“I guess so,” he replied icily and then turned, headed for the end of the hall. “Enjoy your trip.” 

Asami watched him walk away and released a sharp breath. She walked back inside her apartment, and after closing the door behind her, she leaned her forehead against it. 

“Hey,” she heard Korra’s smooth, buttery voice behind her, and a second later felt careful hands touch either of her arms. “You okay?” she whispered. 

Asami turned around and offered her a half smile. 

“How much of that did you hear?” 

“All of it… He’s really not going to let this go, is he?” 

“It’s kind of a hard thing to let go of when you’re someone like him who lives by the book. I’m not making his job all that easy.” 

“You know that you don’t have to keep doing this, right?” Korra asked. “I know that you’re trying to protect me and all, but it’s not worth it.” 

“It is,” Asami argued. “He knows that going after you means hurting me, and as long as that doesn’t change, he can’t get to you. I just… hate that I don’t understand him anymore. It’s like he’s a completely different person now and it scares me to think that he’ll never come around.” 

“Then it’s his loss. You deserve better friends than someone who will continuously judge you over one mistake.” 

“That’s not what has me worried. It’s the thought of him coming after you, and that if he does… that’ll really be the end of it because I’d never forgive him for that.” 

“That won’t happen.” Korra brushed a piece of hair behind Asami’s ear. 

“You’re so calm about this whole thing,” Asami noted. 

“Well, that’s because in under 24 hours, I’m going to be in another country far away from him and all of this other shit. It’s just going to be you, me, and the thousands of places on our list to visit.” 

Asami smiled. “I guess that does make things sound a little more bearable.” 

Korra pinched her cheek. “Exactly. So don’t let him put a damper on your mood anymore.” 

“Whatever you say, ‘babe,’” Asami teased. 

Korra rolled her eyes and started back toward the living room. “You can be my sugarplum so long as it pisses him off. Now come on. Let’s get some sleep before we have to deal with the hell that is New York traffic on the way to JFK.” 

Asami followed after her, still smiling. Of course her girlfriend was right, as always. Mako would need to come around on his own time, and for now she would just need to move on with her life. 

In just a couple more hours they’d be up in the air, far away from the city and any of the problems that came with it. She couldn’t have been more ecstatic.

* * *

Twenty-two hours—plus the extra hour they spent in customs—later, their cab pulled up in front of the place they’d be sleeping for the next month. 

The minute Korra stepped foot outside the car, she became engulfed by the earthy smell of the Arno River. Though she couldn’t see it, she most certainly felt it all around in the air. It kind of reminded her of the times she was a little girl, sitting on the back of Tonraq’s boat, searching the shallow waters of Lake Memphremagog for any fish they could find for dinner that night. 

She stood on the cobblestone and stared up in awe at the long tower in front of her. It looked old and worn with the chipped off bricks upscaling it in several different areas compared to the more modern looking apartment building it connected with. Turning, she took in the view of an orange lit sky, indicating the sun’s graceful descent as nighttime approached. The street lights turned on one by one, casting the street in a yellowish color that made the city appear more golden and ancient. Dozens of people crowded the streets, walking through the large piazza and stopping by flower shops and stands sitting out. She already felt so small in comparison to everything else around her. 

“Hey, Korra, wanna be a tourist later and help with the bags?” 

Snapping out of it, she turned back around and saw Asami and their driver struggling with getting a bag out of the trunk. She whisked over and took over Asami’s position with getting the wheel unstuck from its awkward position in a crevice of the trunk. 

“I bet you’re regretting bringing your entire closet with you on this trip, huh?” she ribbed. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Asami brushed her hair over her shoulder and fanned herself. “Sue me for making sure we had everything we needed.” 

“I highly doubt 100 outfits constitutes as a need.” 

Asami stuck her tongue out and then walked over to the right side of the cab to pull out her and Korra’s carry-ons. After thanking the driver, she paid her some extra Euro, to which the older woman happily accepted and then proceeded to kiss both sides of Asami’s cheeks before jumping in her car and driving away. 

“The people are so friendly here,” Asami said with a smile. 

“Yeah, maybe a little too friendly,” Korra responded and took her bag out of Asami’s hands, pulling it over her shoulder. 

“I’m gonna go get us checked in and see if we can get any help with these bags,” Asami told her and then walked off. 

Korra folded her arms and sat on top of one of the large suitcases. As she waited, she glanced around the area once again in wonder. 

The city didn’t seem less populated than New York on any given night, however it was still new territory; a fresh new perspective in a new place she’d never been before. She briefly recalled the bits and pieces she actually could remember from back when she first began traveling anywhere and everywhere, but all of it kind of blurred together, which was a given considering her predicament at the time and being so strung out she could barely remember her own name. 

Now, with a fresh mind, she had the chance to really see a world outside of her own, and she didn’t want to miss a single moment of it. They had a whole month to just explore, visit several locations on the daily, and just be with each other. Away from anything that complicated their lives. 

A thirst for knowledge, adventure, romance and excitement made her twitch with so much invigorating zeal that she almost couldn’t contain it. Just at the tip of her fingers lie a world of vast giving, and she planned on taking as many things it had to offer into her arms that she could get ahold of. 

After eight minutes, Asami came back with three men in tow to help them with the bags. They were led into the tower part of the building where they climbed several flights of steps before reaching their room. 

“Whoa,” Korra said once she stepped inside and looked around. Despite the medieval tower’s worn and outdated looking exterior, their apartment looked very modern with its oak floors, up-to-date furniture, and decorated walls with art. With the lights on, everything appeared vibrant; elegant. She admired the exquisite detail and ancient atmosphere all around the apartment. Looking back, she expected to find Asami just as enchanted, but her girlfriend was currently busy thanking the men for carrying their bags before they walked out, closing the door behind them. Smiling, Korra walked up and wrapped her arms around Asami’s torso. “You really went all out for me, didn’t you?” 

Chuckling, Asami turned to her. “Well, I originally thought about renting out a villa in the countryside of Tuscany, but I knew you would’ve appreciated the artistic value in this place more.” 

“You know me so well,” Korra said. 

“But on the other hand, we would’ve had a private pool all to ourselves, and you know how much I’ve always wanted to go skinny dipping.” 

Groaning, Korra buried her face in Asami’s shoulder. “Don’t tease me like that.” 

“Who says I’m teasing?” Asami freed herself and grabbed Korra by the hand, leading her farther into the apartment. “Come on. Let’s do a tour.”

“A tour, huh? That brings me back to the first time I came over to your apartment.” 

“Ah, yes. What a fun time that was.” 

“Oh definitely. The stormy weather, the fighting and making you cry, and then me having to wait outside in a downpour for a taxi to pick me up off the curb. Good times.” 

Asami entwined their fingers and led them over into the living room where a large couch and two sofas sat in front of an entertainment center with white shelves and an already installed tv on top, along with some books. Korra shrugged at it, which of course made Asami roll her eyes and then drag her over to the stairway where they passed a doorway leading to the all-white kitchen and the laundry room. The stairs had no banister, making Korra instinctively stay close behind Asami to make sure she wouldn’t fall as they made their way up. 

Their bedroom looked pretty standard at first, but what made it stand out the most was the vaulted ceiling with several arches spreading out of it. Korra remembered learning about the history of them when she took an Art History course (one of the few times she actually attended the class, that is). Then her eyes naturally went over to the double door windows. She walked over and opened them, breathing in deeply at the exquisite view. The entirety of Florence stared back at her, lit up from all of the lights underneath it as the last bit of light in the sky went out like a flame. 

“You can see the Dome from here,” she pointed out and leaned against the windowsill on her elbows. Moments later, she felt Asami come up beside her and look out into the night as well. 

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I chose this room in particular,” she said. 

Korra smiled and leaned her head on Asami’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” 

“Of course.” 

Closing her eyes, she took in the sounds of owls and birds chirping. It already felt so much quieter than New York, even with the hefty number of tourists and travelers. 

“You know what I was thinking the first minute I stepped out of the car?” she asked after the peaceful moments of silence. 

“What?” 

“I thought about how this can all be one big do-over for me. I was so wrapped up in myself all those other times I traveled that I didn’t get to appreciate the things around me as much as I should have. All of those memories come and go in waves, but now I have a clear mind.” 

Asami turned and placed her hand on the side of Korra’s neck. “That’s a wonderful outlook.” 

“It is, isn’t it?” Korra smiled at her. “And maybe it can be the same with you too now that the Raiko stuff is done and your dad’s finally gone.” 

A flash of sadness went across Asami’s face once she uttered those words, and her lighthearted expression turned solemn. 

“Yeah… maybe.” 

Korra brought her hand over Asami’s and kissed her wrist. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” 

“It’s okay. I can’t be treated with kid gloves forever, right? I guess I just don’t know what or how to feel anymore. It’s complicated.” 

“It’s a complicated situation,” Korra offered. “He got you out of some serious trouble—albeit for his own selfish reasons—and on the one hand you’re grateful that it’s all over, but on the other, you now have to think about him being the reason behind it.” 

Asami sighed. “Yeah… Sorry. Can we not talk about this anymore?” 

“Whatever you want.” Korra gave her hand a gentle squeeze and let go. She turned her attention back outside the window again and smiled. “I already want to go exploring,” she admitted, changing the subject. 

“Me, too. But it’s already so late and we haven't even eaten yet.” 

“Really? What time is it?” 

“Just going on 8:30. It’s probably the jetlag you’re feeling.” Asami pulled out her phone and showed her, but at that exact moment she received a text. “Hold on. That’s Rita.” 

She pulled away from the window and looked down at the message, making a small face before texting back. 

“Everything okay?” Korra asked. 

“Yeah. Just a small thing.” Asami put her phone down on the windowsill and looked over at her again. 

“I’m not going to have to compete with that thing, am I?” Korra teased. 

Asami snorted and stepped closer. “Of course not. You have my attention just by being in the room.” 

“Oh yeah?” Korra questioned and then playfully lifted up Asami’s shirt, brushing her hand against soft, pale skin. She smirked when she felt a small shudder rumble from Asami’s abdomen. 

“You know you do. And if you close those doors, you can know how much I love having your eyes on me.” 

Korra leaned forward, anticipating a kiss, but Asami pulled away at the last second. Her heated gaze held Korra’s as she took a few steps back toward the bed and bit her lip. Korra’s eyes immediately lowered to it and she wet her own. Turning around, she closed the double doors with utter quickness and then spun back around to Asami, who had already torn off her shirt and started unbuttoning her jeans. 

Korra practically tackled her down on the bed and they fell together, landing on the plush bedding. Asami laughed voraciously, a slight husk in her tone that caused electricity to shoot up Korra’s spine. 

“We should really unpack first,” Asami said, feigning interest. 

“We have all month to unpack.” 

“But still, I want this place to be lived in, ya know? With our stuff all over the place and tripping everywhere.” 

“And here I thought spending so much time at my apartment made you hate things being all over the place and tripping everywhere.” 

“Yeah, but… that’s different.” Asami’s eyes shifted and her brows pinched together as she appeared deep in thought. 

“What’s up?” Korra asked, combing her fingers through Asami’s soft, dark hair until she looked at her again. 

“Nothing. I just really enjoy being alone with you like this,” she said. 

Korra responded back with a soft smile of her own and brushed her forehead against Asami’s. 

“It’s gonna be amazing,” she predicted and then started up again with pushing her hand up Asami’s skin. “You and me, exploring Florence and wherever else it takes us, eating all of the good food, seeing so many amazing views and all of the art. But even with all of that, still none of it comes close to this.” Her hand went higher, going over one of Asami’s mounds covered by her bra and squeezing. “Watching you make faces like the one you are now, kissing you ‘til you’re out of breath.” She moved Asami’s hair out of the way and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “Making love to you on all the days we’re too lazy to get out of bed, or when it’s too hot during the day, and the only thing to take our minds off the heat is fucking until neither of us can move.” 

Asami’s legs wrapped around Korra, locking her in a tight hold all while she moaned and panted against Korra’s cheek. Her hips started to rock in desperation, and she let her hands wander all over every part of Korra she could touch. 

“Show me,” Asami pleaded. “Please show me now.” 

“Oh I plan on doing just that, Sato, and so much more,” Korra said, going to work and opening the flap of Asami’s jeans.

* * *

“What do you think? They kind of look like lovers to me,” Korra said jokingly, tilting her head to analyze the painting at a different angle. In it were two men: a young knight and a squire. She’d been staring at it for about fifteen minutes, much like with the other several paintings she’d seen so far. After waiting for Asami’s response and not receiving one, she turned around. “Asami?” 

“Huh?” Asami looked up from her phone and looked at the painting. “Hm. I guess I can see it. I definitely don’t think that’s where Giorgione was going with it, though.” 

“It was a joke,” Korra said plainly. 

“Ohh.” Asami let out a laugh. “Leave it to you to have your mind in the gutter.” 

“Are you bored?” Korra asked. “We can leave if you want to.” 

“What? No, of course not. I love watching you nerd out about ancient old art.” 

“Says the one who flipped out about some dress that she saw in a window.” 

“Not ‘some’ dress. A Robert Capucci dress mind you. He’s only one of the major fashion icons in the world. I would die just to be in the same room as the guy.” 

‘Nerd,’ Korra mouthed at her, only for Asami to roll her eyes. Then, a sudden idea came to her. “We should visit a fashion school or something. They’re bound to have some old, famous gowns hauled up in a secret dungeon somewhere.” 

“Eh, I don’t know,” Asami said with an indifferent shrug. “I think going in one would just bring up bad memories and make me think of what that could’ve been, if you know what I mean.” 

Korra nodded in understanding and then watched Asami look down at her phone again when it buzzed. She also looked down at the device, but with contempt. For the first couple of days, she didn’t mind the occasional notification sound that would go off and drive Asami’s attention away, but now they were on week two and the notifications became more frequent. Asami turned her phone off when it became too persistent, but it almost felt like she was doing it for Korra’s sake rather than her own. 

They went and looked at a couple of sculptures, both sharing their opinions on them, but the more they went on, the more anxious Korra became that at any moment Asami’s phone would ring and disrupt their flow. 

“Why don’t we go and get some lunch now?” she suggested. “I’m starved.” 

“Really? I feel like we just got here.” 

“It’s been almost two hours. Plus we have that boat tour later," Korra reminded her. They’d be joining ten other couples on a romantic cruise down the Arno River, riding under bridges, viewing old castles and towers, then watching the sun set behind the Ponte Vecchio from mid-river.

“Oh yeah, right,” Asami said. “Okay then, let’s go.” 

They walked out of the Uffizi Gallery and onto the busy streets. The hot sun beaming down on them made it feel like it was over 110 degrees rather than 90. When Korra looked over at Asami, she noticed her rubbing at one of her bare shoulders. 

“You okay?” she asked. 

“Yeah, I think I just missed a spot with the sunscreen. I was fine while we were inside.” 

“Let me see.” Slowing down, she waited for Asami to walk in front of her and then examined the area she pointed at. “Geez! It’s really red, and I think it’s already starting to peel.” 

“Ugh, don’t say that,” Asami groaned and tried to look over her shoulder and inspect the area. “Did you bring the sunscreen with you?” 

Korra took off her backpack and looked through it, then she let out a sound of annoyance. “It’s not in here. And I think after this morning we were almost out.” 

“Well that’s just perfect,” Asami said with a sigh. 

They continued walking until they reached the rack where they parked their hired bikes. 

“Why don’t you go back to the apartment and I’ll go to the market, buy us some lunch, and get more sunscreen.” 

“I can just go with you,” Asami offered, still winding and unwinding her shoulder. 

“No, it’s fine. I think it’s best if you got out of the sun as soon as possible. I won’t be long.” 

Leaning over her bike, she pressed a quick kiss on Asami’s lips before she could argue. When she pulled back, she noticed her girlfriend’s cheeks begin to darken and how her eyes darted everywhere to see if anyone saw the gesture. 

“Okay then,” she said and grabbed the sun glasses out of her hair and put them on. “I’ll… see you back home.” 

“Sure thing.” 

Asami nodded but didn’t move from her spot for a few more seconds. Her eyes held something unreadable in them until she finally glanced away and then hopped on her bike. She gave Korra a small wave before pedaling away. 

Korra watched her go until she disappeared into the thick crowd. However, she noticed a couple of eyes landed on her girlfriend’s curvaceous form and the wind blowing through her thick, dark hair. Most of the strangers admired, but Korra noticed some with looks of desire. Fuckers. 

She hesitantly turned her bike in the other direction and sped off down the street in route to the closest market she could find. Hopefully she’d be able to find everything she needed so she could get back to the apartment and help Asami before her entire shoulder peeled off. 

She rode down the path beside the Arno, the glint of the afternoon sun bouncing against the ripples in the water that people paddled through inside their boats. Naturally, looking out at something so calming and peaceful made her think about Asami, but unfortunately, it was for other reasons. 

The few times Korra randomly decided to show PDA (which wasn’t very often), Asami seemed awkward or cautiously aware of everyone else around them. When she thought about it, it made sense since they hadn’t gotten to be as public with each other for the past several months, so it’d probably take some time for her to get used to not being paranoid about a paparazzi sneaking up out of nowhere to ambush them. But at the same time, Korra couldn’t help but wonder… 

Would it be the same if she’d been a man?

In all honesty, being public with their relationship didn’t matter to Korra since she didn’t particularly care for people knowing her personal business. It was only the thought of Asami being uncomfortable that kind of bothered her. She didn’t want her to feel that way at all, and if Asami did, Korra would have preferred that she just say it out loud so they could work through it and find some sort of solution.

Turning a corner, she wheeled up a hill, enduring the painful burn in her legs and making sure to keep a safe distance from the cars sharing the road with her. 

She arrived at the nearby marketplace that wasn’t entirely busy and picked up some sunscreen along with some salads and sandwiches (one veggie and the other turkey) that would hold them off until they went on the boat ride. 

Since the apartment wasn’t that far, she took a little more time on the way back, looking around and finding more places they could potentially visit in the coming weeks. So far, they’d been to almost every museum around Florence, seen Michelangelo’s David up close, and explored several historic sites. And yet still it only seemed like they’d seen thirty percent of what Florence had to offer. Plus, there were all of the other locations around them they still had yet to visit like Sienna, Lucca, Pisa, and Cinque Terra. They had a couple of day trips scheduled for their last week there, but Korra worried they wouldn’t be able to realistically hit all of those places within that time frame. Maybe after some discussion, they could start venturing outside of Florence within the next week or so. 

She made it to the piazza and returned her rented bike where she saw Asami had done the same. On her way toward the apartment/tower building, she noticed a woman sitting in a chair over by a stand. The sign on the front read in Italian, but from the pictures of psychic balls plastered on it, she already had a general sense of what the purpose of the stand was for. Stealthily, she tried to make her way by the woman without making any eye contact whatsoever. 

“Ciao, signorina!” 

Korra squinted her eyes and came to a stop, then looked over at the stand. The woman was dressed in all yellow with a matching hair piece donning the top of her head. She wore dark purple eyeshadow and red lipstick, and from Korra's guess, she looked to be in the mid-sixties range. 

“Ciao,” she replied. 

“Come stai?” 

“I’m sorry. I’m not a native speaker.” 

“Oh, that’s okay. Neither am I,” the woman said, surprising Korra, but now that she got a good look at her, she could clearly see the woman’s Asian features. “Would you like a reading from Aunt Wu?” 

“No, thank you. I actually have to be somewhere.” Korra smiled politely and began to back away. 

“You’re sure? There’s something about your aura that I sense is desperate for answers.” 

“Nope, I’m good. Ciao.” She gave a small wave and turned away, briskly walking to the apartment where it was safe from all of the crazies. Psychic reading and fortune telling? Give her a break. She already endured enough of the spiritual shit with her mother back in the day. 

When she got to the apartment, she sighed in relief when she felt cold air blasting on her. Hopefully by the time their boat ride came along it’d be much cooler out. 

She opened her mouth to call out to Asami, but upon hearing her girlfriend’s voice, she stopped herself and listened to the ongoing conversation. 

“You told him that? Like, you _actually_ told him that?” Asami said, sounding aghast and exasperated at the same time. “I don’t care who told you what. You should’ve run it over by me first—Yes, well I’m so sorry I’m off on a vacation, a vacation I haven’t been able to have since rebranding and taking over—No! Don’t call him again. I’ll handle it. Tell Rita I said no one is authorized to speak with him except for me from here on out, and try to have him call me. Bye.” 

Asami made an irritated noise and threw her phone across the room where it plopped down on the floor. 

“Whoa. What happened?” Korra asked, entering the room. 

Asami removed her hands from over her face and looked surprised when she saw Korra standing there. 

“Hey,” she said and then sighed. “It’s… it’s nothing.” 

“Didn’t sound like nothing.” Korra walked over and put the bag of food and sunscreen on the table. “Work?”

Asami nodded and flipped her hair behind her shoulders. “That was my marketing director I was speaking to just now. He said that this guy, Mr. Fukumoto, is considering cutting ties with Future Industries.” 

“And this guy is super important I’m guessing?” 

“If by super important you mean a multi-billionaire who invested in the company and got several other people to invest as well, then yeah.” 

“Why does he want to cut ties?” 

“He thinks that with all of the stuff that’s happened with Raiko in the past few months it’ll affect his business. Something about a .3% drop in stocks.” 

“That’s, like, nothing.” 

“Yeah, well it’s something to him apparently. That bastard probably waited until he knew I was going on vacation to drop this on me. He’s got another thing coming if he really thinks I’ll let him go that easily.” 

“So you have a plan?” Korra asked, folding her arms. 

“Of course. I’ll get him in a video call, bat my pretty eyelashes, and maybe offer him a new Sato Rover 3 coming out next year.” 

“Well then great. I’m sure once we're back in New York you’ll knock it out of the park.” 

Asami took a hefty pause and stared up at her with apologetic eyes. 

“I have to get in contact with him as soon as possible,” she spoke slowly; carefully. “If I wait until we get back, it’ll be too late, and there’s no telling what other investors will do if they see he’s dropped out.” 

“We have to go check in at the meeting spot for the boat ride in an hour,” Korra reminded her. 

“I know, and I would much rather be doing that than this, believe me. But it can’t wait… I’m so sorry, Korra.” 

Korra pursed her lips together and looked away, not wanting to show her disappointment but failing miserably. “So much for me not having to compete with your job,” she said. 

Asami quickly stood up. “Hey, no. That’s not what this is. It’s just something that can’t afford to be put on the backburner. And the minute I’m done, you’ll have me all to yourself again. I’ll make this up to you, I swear.” 

Korra nodded but kept her gaze averted. She didn’t even want to get into bringing up the constant interruptions they’d been having because of Asami’s job since their arrival. “Sure. I guess I’ll just go cancel our tour then. Maybe I can get our money back.” 

Turning, she made an attempt to walk away, but Asami reached out and grabbed her wrist, halting her. 

“Please don’t be mad,” she pleaded, a helpless look in her bright green eyes. 

“I’m not,” Korra said, then she forced a smile onto her face. “Do what you have to do. I’ve been slacking on working out lately so I should probably go for a run or something anyway.” She leaned forward and gave Asami a chaste kiss. “I’ll catch up with you later.” 

Asami’s hand slid from her wrist and fell away, but she still held a look of guilt. 

“Okay,” she replied. 

Korra offered her another smile, then she walked out of the room and headed upstairs. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked out the open window at the puffy white clouds floating through the ocean sky. 

She wasn’t upset per se. After all, Asami couldn’t help that other people chose to be dicks to her. But after everything they’d gone through since the beginning of the year (hell, even _way_ before that), she figured that Asami would say fuck responsibilities and just be with Korra in the moment. And foolishly, Korra believed that it would happen. 

She realized that not everyone could be like her, jobless and directionless and could afford to fuck off and do whatever. But now it just brought those quiet doubts about herself that she’d been juggling for months back to the surface. Asami was downstairs dealing with issues she couldn’t avoid because she was the leader of the locker room. People relied on her to make important business decisions and see things through. Korra, however, could not say she had the same thing going for herself. She somewhat had that back when she’d been on Varrick’s top shelf of boxers in his cabinet of fighters, but now she’d probably been replaced and was only an afterthought to everyone’s minds. She stood in an empty locker room with no other choice but to walk out and face the unknown world beyond the field. Her only choices were to either fall flat on her face or flourish somewhere else, beyond everyone else’s wildest expectations. 

As for where that somewhere was, however… it totally stumped her.

After a minute of deciding, she started to undress, taking off her casual clothes to put on some workout ones. With a heavy sigh, she dug her running shoes out of the closet and put them on, then grabbed her iPod. Walking back downstairs, she looked into the living room just to tell Asami she was leaving, but upon seeing her on the phone—a serious look on her face as she scrolled through her tablet for something—she decided against it. 

As silent as a mouse, she slipped out of the apartment with the intent to run so much that she left her mind behind in the dust. 

* * *

“Thank you so much, sir. See you in a few weeks. Arigato.” 

Asami hung up the phone and leaned back against the couch in relief. Only two hours passed and it felt like five. She finally got a hold of Mr. Fukumoto after jumping through several hoops just to reach him via a video call. With a little bend of the wrist, a couple of compliments, and some smiling, she managed to get him to hold off on taking any drastic measures until she returned back to New York and they could have a proper meeting. 

For a few moments, she sat there in comfortable silence, but upon realizing how quiet it was, she opened her eyes and looked around. 

“Korra, are you back?” she called out. 

Silence. 

With a frown, she grabbed her phone again and called Korra. It rang for two seconds, but then she heard the sound of Korra’s special ringtone she used just for her blasting from the kitchen. Sighing, she hung up her phone, then she decided to turn it off completely. 

Despite Korra’s insistent claim that she wasn’t upset, her facial expressions proved otherwise. Asami didn’t fault her for it either. Her patience could only wear so thin after five long months of secrecy, Asami's constant battle with the press and being grilled by the FBI. Even Asami had to admit that all of the work talk could be too much and that, at times, she wanted to mute herself along with the other people around her. 

She hated any time she saw that disheartened look on Korra’s face, but she especially hated when she was the one to cause it. The only thing she ever wanted to give Korra was the true joy, happiness and love she unfortunately missed out on for so many years. She deserved that and so much more, probably more than even Korra thought she did. 

But luckily enough, Asami still had two and a half more weeks to spend with Korra, and not even the company burning down to its last brick would keep her from exploring this wonderful, beautiful country with her girlfriend. 

With that in mind, she went over to the bookshelf and placed her phone in between two large books. 

She headed upstairs to their bedroom, and once she entered, she noticed Korra’s clothes messily laid out on the bed. As she stared at them, a sudden idea came to her and she smiled to herself. 

Making her way over to the closet, she dug around and found her stealth-looking suitcase and unzipped it. Looking at the contents inside made her nervously bite her lip. 

While she may not have given Korra that romantic boat ride today, maybe she could give her something better. 

* * *

Korra returned back to the apartment sweaty and dripping from her 15-mile run. She hadn’t realized that she’d forgotten to eat her lunch until thirty minutes out, and after that she just rode the high for the next hour and a half. 

She expected to find Asami in the living room, but all of the lights were turned out, and the same went for the kitchen as well. 

“Asami, you here?” she called out, removing her earbuds and wrapping them around her iPod. 

A few seconds later, she heard a door open. 

“Yeah, I’m in the downstairs bathroom,” Asami said back. “I’ll be upstairs in a few minutes.” 

“Okay. I’m gonna go take a quick shower then.” 

“Sounds good.” The door of the bathroom clicked shut. 

Korra’s forehead creased at the sound of Asami’s nonchalant tone. Really? That was all she got after being blown off today? 

Shaking her head, she walked upstairs and headed to the bedroom. Once she stripped off her clothes, she grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom. Minutes later, she stood under the warm water, letting it wash away all of the dirt and grime she accumulated that day. 

Maybe it was just her lack of experience with having a girlfriend, or just relationships in general, but wasn’t there supposed to be at least a little bit of groveling? She wasn’t expecting Asami to get on her hands and knees and beg or anything, but she did have it in her mind that once she returned Asami would be waiting there with puppy dog eyes, then invite Korra to have a quiet night in that involved lots of cuddling as an apology of sorts. That wasn’t asking for too much, was it? 

Or maybe they could just talk and Korra could politely tell her that she didn’t want work getting in the way of their vacation for the rest of their time there. It didn’t have to be dramatic, but just a simple statement and making Asami aware of her displeasure with the way things were going as of late. The only problem with that was Asami’s reaction to it. What if she said no? Or that Korra was being selfish? What if she said work would always be a priority and that Korra would just have to get over it? 

Once 10 or 15 minutes of worrying/pondering in the shower passed, she washed herself thoroughly and got out. After drying off and moisturizing, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked out of the bathroom. 

Her jaw dropped. 

With the doors of the windows closed, keeping the light from coming in, several candles lit up the darkened room, giving it a warm, sultry vibe. From somewhere around the room, she could hear music playing from the smart speaker they packed with them, a slow, rhythmic and sexy beat. Rose petals spread out onto the bed and fell on the floor, trailing all the way to where Korra stood. And to glue the entire scene together, Asami lie there in the middle of the bed like an empress on a palanquin, only raunchier with her red lace bralette, matching panties, and thigh high lace stockings attached to a garter belt. 

“Hey there,” Asami spoke in that sonorous voice of hers: deep, leveled and full of seduction.

“H-hey,” Korra stammered and slowly walked over. “What’s all of this?” 

Asami crawled over to Korra like a cheetah ready to pounce on its prey at any second. When she got toward the edge of the bed, she rose up on her knees and then reached out and tugged Korra forward by the front of her towel. 

“This is me making it up to you,” she said and wrapped her arms around Korra’s neck. “I told you I would, didn’t I?”

Korra gave her another once over. “You did, yeah.” 

“So then here’s what’s going to happen: You’re going to do whatever your boss Miss Sato says. And what I’m saying—no, _demanding_ —is that you drop that towel.” 

“Oh, you’re the boss, huh?” Korra smirked, but she leisurely brought her hand up between them and started unbinding the towel from her chest. “Do I get a say at all?”

“You do,” Asami said, and once Korra’s towel dropped, she reached between them and pinched her nipple, making Korra bite her lip in response. “But I have a feeling you’re not gonna want to say no to what I have in store for you.” 

Korra released a shudder. Leaning forward, she intended to seal it all off with a kiss, but Asami pulled away at the last second and rose from the bed. 

“Ah-ah.” She shook her finger at Korra. “We’re playing by my rules.” 

Korra yelped when Asami turned her around and pushed her to sit down on the edge of the bed. She put her hands on Korra’s biceps and smiled, tipping her head so that her hair gracefully fell over one shoulder. 

“On the one hand, I’m a little scared, but the rest of me is extremely turned on right now,” Korra admitted. 

Asami bit her lip and climbed in Korra’s lap, but when Korra went to place her hands on her hips, she grabbed them and pinned them down to the bed. 

“No touching yet,” she whispered darkly. “Just watch me.” 

She let go and leaned away, tilting her head back to reveal her long, perfect neck. Bringing her hands up, she dragged them down her body, circling her breasts and then dropping them down to her stomach and thighs. Her movements were delicate, calculated, and alluring as they matched the slow tandem of the music in the background. Her eyes closed as she teased herself with her own fingers and began to move her hips in circles on top of Korra’s lap. She mouthed the words of the song and rolled her body into Korra’s, brushing their chests together as she glided upward, to the point where Korra’s lips could just barely brush against the top of her breasts. 

Korra followed Asami’s body even as she pulled away, but Asami stopped what she was doing just to push her back by the shoulders again. Remembering Asami’s demand, Korra reluctantly went back into place, but she grasped onto the sheets, clenching her teeth together as she watched in tortured arousal all of the things _she_ should’ve been doing. It also occurred to her that she was jealous of her own girlfriend’s hands. They could feel at the skimpy fabric covering her, feel her nourished, plush skin, and reach between her thighs and touch that one particular area that Asami was the most delicate. 

And speaking of, Asami’s breath hitched when she reached inside her panties and began to touch herself. Korra could only see the motion of her hand moving in circles, entering her folds and using that cupping motion Korra knew she loved so much. Her actions continued for several moments just like that, occasionally slowing down only to speed up a minute later, getting so close to going over the edge but coming up short. A barely audible whisper left her mouth a couple of times, and Korra swore she heard her name falling from those teasing, ruby red lips. 

Asami eventually opened her eyes and stared down at Korra, her cheeks a bit flushed and eyes in that smoldering glare. She turned in an abrupt manner and stood, then put her hands on Korra’s thighs, spreading them until she could fit between. Dragging herself downward, she swayed her hips back and forth as she dropped to the ground, bringing her hands down Korra’s body as well. When she came back up, she purchased herself on Korra’s lap again and looked over her shoulder. Without a word, she leaned back and Korra eagerly accepted her kiss, prying Asami’s mouth open to explore her orifice without any shame.

Asami moaned into the kiss and reached for Korra’s hands to put them over her soft mounds, which Korra was more than happy to comply with. She could feel the outline of Asami’s hard nipples rubbing up against the lace and pinched them, making Asami groan into the kiss even louder as she grew more aroused. When their lips pulled apart, Korra rested her head against Asami’s cheek and panted.

“Please,” she begged in a tone that she couldn’t even recognize as hers.

"Hmm?" Asami asked in a playful tone.

“I wanna feel more of you."

“How much?” Asami brought Korra’s hands down to her waist to let her feel over warm, smooth thighs. 

“So much that I feel like I might die,” Korra spoke truthfully and closed her eyes.

To her dissatisfaction, Asami moved off her lap and let go of her hands. 

“Close your eyes,” she commanded. 

“Asami,” Korra whined. 

“Just do it,” her girlfriend said with a giggle. “Please? And no peeking.” 

With a sigh, Korra brought her hands over her face and looked downward to refrain from seeing through the cracks of her fingers. She listened to Asami shift around for several seconds, and the sound of something unzipping. Just as she opened her mouth to voice a complaint, she felt Asami ease back into her lap again, as if she never left.

“Okay, you can look now.” 

Korra pulled her hands away from her face and opened her eyes. 

“Well? What is it?” she asked when she didn't notice anything out of place. 

Asami only giggled again and cupped her cheeks, pulling her forward to capture her lips again. 

“You can touch me now,” she whispered onto her lips during a brief pause. 

A genuine whimper left Korra’s lips at their unhurried and languorous act. She first ran her hand through that luxuriously thick and silk-like mane, practically swallowing Asami’s tongue like she’d been starving for a kiss like that for her entire existence. Her hands went low, to the back of Asami’s neck, back, and the middle of her spine. When she reached Asami’s rear, she settled her hands there for a long minute, squeezing the soft cheeks between her fingers and rolling her hips to create a prolonged friction between them. Asami kissed her back just as hard and wrapped her arms around Korra’s neck, then she pushed Korra back until she fell against the bed.

Korra groaned when Asami pulled away and kissed down her neck. In order to give her more access, she turned her head to the left and closed her eyes, falling into complete and total bliss… 

Her eyes popped open again and she made a surprised sounding noise. 

“What is _that_?” she said, ruining the current idyllic atmosphere.

On her right side, she saw a strap-on in the color pink and a small tube of lube. She turned back to Asami when she felt her laugh inside her neck. 

“What do you think it is?” Asami asked, her voice teasing and husky. 

“Okay, better question: Where and how did you get that here?” 

“Well, one, I have excellent packing skills, and two, you are very oblivious when you want to be.” 

“Did you go out and buy this after the conversation we had?” 

“Yup. Expedited shipping really isn’t as appreciated as it should be.” 

Korra came up onto one of her elbows and took the contraption into her hands. It was different from the one she had stashed away in her apartment: less theatrical but also more sophisticated looking (if you could even refer to a strap-on as sophisticated). 

Looking up at Asami again, she noticed the slight nervous look in her eyes now. 

“And you want to try this?” she asked in a careful, easy tone. 

“Well, preferably, I’d like you to try it on me, if that’s okay? I mean, since you already know what to do and everything…” 

“No, I completely agree with that,” Korra said, sitting up. She wrapped her arms around Asami’s waist and looked up at her with a curious gaze. “But why now? It’s not because of earlier, is it?”

Asami glanced downward and then used her finger to trace circles into Korra’s collar bone.

“A little, but also because this is something I’ve been wanting since the moment I found out you were into it.” 

“Okay… But I don’t want this to be something we rush into because you want to please me or anything. You shouldn’t feel pressured— _Mmf!"_

Asami brought their mouths together hungrily, biting at Korra’s bottom lip and tugging on it. All the while, her hands threaded through Korra’s hair and held her face there to thoroughly kiss her. When she pulled back, a look of fierce determination sparkled in her impeccable green eyes.

“You know how much I appreciate you always looking out for my straight girl tendencies, but that’s not what I need right now,” she said. “I just want you to do whatever you want with me, without any questions or feelings of doubt. Just _fuck_ me, Korra. Please.” 

Korra stared up in surprise at her girlfriend’s colorful language. Never before had she seen Asami look so desperate and resolute. Reaching up, she brushed a piece of long, dark hair behind her girlfriend’s ear.

“Is that an order, _Miss Sato_?” she ardently whispered.

A second later, Asami’s sharp look turned promiscuous.

“You bet your ass it is.” 

Korra pulled her in for another kiss, and this time it grew more impatient with every roll Asami did with her hips, or the way the lace of her bra brushed up against Korra's hard nipples. She turned them over so that Asami went onto her back, laying her right in the middle of the bed beside the strap-on and on top of the rose petals. But before getting to any of that, she used the opportunity to finally gaze at how beautiful Asami looked in her sexy attire. The all red lingerie and tinged red lipstick gave her the appearance of a vixen. 

She brought her hands on Asami’s chest and squeezed, then forced the fabric up so that her breasts spilled out from underneath. Taking a nipple into her mouth, she lathered it with her tongue while rolling the other in between her thumb and index finger. 

Asami moaned and put her hands on Korra’s shoulders, lightly pushing her to go lower in light suggestion, to which Korra followed along with. She kissed at Asami’s stomach, then her navel, until she reached her panty line and garter belt. After a glance over, she unhooked the belt from the stockings and removed it along with the panties. At the same time, Asami rose up and removed her bra the rest of the way. All that left her in was the stockings, but Korra found herself reluctant to remove them because she found the imagery way too sexy. 

Lowering herself, she brought her face above Asami’s shaven pussy and blew in it, smiling at the way it made her girlfriend shiver. Then she proceeded to bring her mouth over the pulsing mound, inserting her tongue between the wet folds.

Asami’s thighs clenched around her the more her tongue swirled, licked and sucked up the sweet fluid leaking into her mouth like a broken pipe. Inserting a finger, Korra pushed in and out, rubbing against Asami’s clit in a way that made her writhe and plead on several occasions. And how could Korra deny her of anything? 

She sped up the process and pushed another finger into Asami's sleek hole, getting her more wet, and then allowing her the pleasure of coming hard into her mouth after adding a third and final finger.

Pulling away, she wiped her lips and gave Asami time to catch her breath while she grabbed the strap on. After analyzing it for a minute or two, she put it on, then squeezed a quarter size drop of lube into her hand and reached down to palm herself. The whole time, Asami watched with intrigue and a heated gaze as her loud breathing continued to come out in puffs. 

Once Korra finished, she threw the lube to the side and went back into place on top of Asami again. They shared a long, purposeful look, and when Korra still saw no form of hesitancy in Asami’s gaze, she gave a simple nod.

Going slow, she inserted the dildo into Asami’s slit and waited until she was halfway to pause and check on her.

Asami buried her teeth into her bottom lip and closed her eyes, her brows pinching together in concentration. 

“You okay?” Korra asked, unable to hide away her concern. 

“Yeah, just been a while,” Asami responded. “Keep going.” 

“You sure?”

When Asami nodded, Korra still waited a few seconds before pressing forward, going all the way until she was buried deep. Asami let out a gasp and reached up to grip at Korra’s biceps, squeezing them until Korra had to whisper in her ear to relax. Eventually the tension lessoned and Asami loosened her grip. After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and met Korra’s worried gaze. 

“Go on,” she said. “I’m fine.” 

Korra tucked a piece of hair behind Asami’s ear and leaned forward, bringing their foreheads together. She pulled out halfway and then slowly pushed back in. For several minutes, she kept a measured pace, watching and waiting to see Asami’s facial expressions become more comfortable and relaxed. Once her brows unclenched and mouth opened the slightest bit to release soft gasps, Korra smiled.

She quickened her pace, developing a feverish rhythm between them that had the bed squeaking as it rocked back and forth, making the floorboards groan in response. Asami’s moans grew louder and confident as she started to meet Korra’s hips with her own, creating wet noises the more drenched her walls became. Korra paused for a brief second, only to lift one of Asami’s flexible legs and bury herself deeper. 

“Tell me how I feel,” Korra said when she leaned down into Asami’s neck and kissed her there. 

“Fu-fucking amazing,” Asami breathed out and then made Korra look at her, a smirk forming on her lips. “But I know you can do better.” 

Korra quirked a brow and pulled out all the way. “You shouldn’t poke the bear, Sato,” she warned.

“Oh, but I am. So are you going to show me why you’re really known as a sex goddess or what?”

This time, Korra smirked and leaned down. 

“Just remember you asked for this,” she drawled. Then, without giving Asami any time to react, forced her to turn around and get on her hands and knees. Seconds later, she gripped Asami’s hips and entered her again, only giving Asami a limited amount of time to adjust before slamming into her.

Asami’s back bowed and she released several high-pitched moans. Her head lowered as she pushed back into Korra’s thrusts, producing a cadence of their hips pounding into each other from the pace and force they were going. Korra leaned over Asami and brushed her hair out of the way. She kissed up her back until her lips found purchase at the desired spot: the juncture between Asami’s shoulder and neck. She sucked at the area, making sure to leave a bruise there in the morning, all while her hips continued to thrust and drive deeper—hitting different angles every time that had Asami begging for more.

“Oh god, _yes_!” Her breath hitched when Korra hit a particular spot and repeated the action. “You’re so big.” 

Korra sucked the air between her teeth at hearing the satisfaction and delirium in Asami’s tone. She reached out and grabbed her hair, pulling it until Asami got on her knees. The dildo slipped out momentarily, and Korra used that time to force Asami’s knees over hers. After getting her positioned, she applied a little more lube before inserting the thick, long shaft back in with ease. Then, she pulled Asami’s head back to whisper in her ear

“Go on and fuck yourself, _Miss Sato_ ,” she spoke sinfully. “Show me how much of a slut you really are for my cock.” 

Asami’s entire body quaked, but she still did as Korra demanded, rising up and sinking down. She went slow for only a few seconds and then picked up the brisk pace, never giving herself a minute of pause and fucking herself further into a sea of passion. Her head eventually fell back onto Korra’s shoulder. 

“Touch me,” she whimpered. “Please touch me.” 

Korra bit her lip so hard that she could taste blood in her mouth. She cupped Asami’s bouncing breasts, squeezing and pinching until her nubs became hard again. With that leverage, she could easily bury her herself into Asami and generate a delicious friction between them that made Asami arch and flail, indicating her close release.

"O-oh fuck!" she shouted loud in ecstasy. "Korra!" 

“Come for me,” Korra told her, lowering one of her hands down between Asami’s thighs to add her fingers and give that final push for her to go over the edge. Asami came in seconds, a silent scream leaving her as she pressed back into Korra’s front and rode her until completion. After she finished, Korra kept her there by putting a hand on her abdomen and the other still on her chest. She kissed Asami’s sweaty skin in a comforting act for several minutes and listened to the quiet whimpers that left her girlfriend's mouth. 

Eventually, Asami slowly released herself and fell forward onto the bed and pillows, breathing heavily.

While she rested, Korra removed the strap-on and threw it over to the side. They’d need to wash the sheets now anyway. 

“So?” Asami asked after catching her breath. “How was I?”

Korra chuckled. “You’re the one I should be asking that to.” 

“Oh, right.”

More silence trekked into the room, but it was a comfortable one, much like all of their moments of post orgasmic bliss. Korra lie down on her stomach and turned her head in Asami’s direction. Long, dark hair fell in front of her face messily and she brushed it away. 

“You okay? I wasn’t too rough, was I?”

One green eye opened lazily and then a smile appeared on the corner of Asami’s lips. 

“You being so worried makes me feel like I’m the only girl you’ve ever been so attentive to like this,” she asked. 

“Because you are.” 

“Are you saying that most of the flings you’ve had just involved a bunch of rough play whenever you were in the mood for it?” 

“I wouldn’t put it that way. I just happened to be with a lot of people who liked it a little rough and let me do whatever.” 

“So why can’t it be like that sometimes with me? Where you don’t have to ask and just do?” 

“Because you’re my girlfriend and I love you and don’t want to hurt you,” Korra told her, wearing a solemn expression. 

Asami cupped her cheek. 

“I know you’d never hurt me,” she said. 

Korra looked away at that. 

“Yeah, not now,” she said. 

“Hey, what’s the long face? Did you not have a good time?” 

“Yeah, of course I did. It’s just that, for a moment, while I was in the shower, I kind of… doubted you.” 

“Oh…” Asami’s gaze lowered, but she still continued to rub her thumb along Korra’s cheek. “I get it I guess, given what happened today.” 

“I just felt a little, I don’t know, neglected? Like you didn’t care. But I know that’s not the case.” 

Asami nodded and looked up at her. 

“It’s okay. I know that I’ve been kind of absent because of the work stuff that keeps popping up, and that’s not fair.” 

“But it’s understandable,” Korra said. “You’re running a multi-million-dollar business, and that’s not something a lot of people can say they achieve at your age.” 

She glanced downward again, briefly recalling her inner turmoil from earlier but trying her best to squash it. 

“Yeah, but even I have my limits,” Asami said. “I don’t want to be where I’m at right now if it comes at a price of not getting to do the things I want and—most importantly—being with you. Which is why from now until the end of the trip, it’s just going to be you and me like it should’ve always been from the beginning.” 

“But what about that Fukumoto guy? You said he was really important to the company.” 

“I’ve got it handled,” Asami said and leaned forward to kiss her, making Korra moan when their tongues met in a languid manner. She then moved over top of her and kept it going, only breaking apart to kiss down Korra’s body. “For now, all you need to do is let me take care of you for the rest of the night.” 

Any and all of Korra’s thoughts died right there. Her eyes rolled shut when Asami slipped down her body and stopped between her legs. She hovered over Korra’s dripping hot sex before inserting her tongue, moving in slow circles to taste every part of her. 

“Fuck,” Korra panted out. “Don’t stop.” 

Asami’s mouth sped up, and the sound of her slurps created a warm feeling in Korra’s gut that spread downward. Her back curved off the bed and she spread her legs wider, giving Asami more access. When she opened her eyes, at the same time Asami looked up at her. She kept their gazes locked as she slowly dragged her tongue up Korra’s sensitive wet folds, then brought her entire mouth over her pussy again, sucking harder and faster to the point that the number of endorphins greatly exceeded the capacity of Korra’s brain.

As her voice gave out and her vision went white, she silently wondered to herself what kind of planets had to align for her to get something as undeserving as this.

* * *

Pink hues painted the sky during the twilight hour, the full moon already making its appearance in the clear airspace where stars would begin to twinkle.

Asami strolled along a bridge, side by side with Korra as they passed other people nearby looking out at the nice view and taking pictures on their phones. 

They just finished eating at this small Italian restaurant Korra wanted to try after they passed it so many times, and afterward they decided to go on a walk before heading back to the apartment. 

“I’m really going to miss this,” she announced and looked over at Korra with a saddened expression. 

Time flew by so fast that she almost lost track of the days. Traveling around different places in Italy and immersing herself made it easy for her to forget about all of the (now) insignificant things she let herself be distracted by in their first weeks there. But after finally disconnecting with work entirely, she never wanted to think about it again. All she wanted was to explore everywhere with Korra; not just in Italy, but _everywhere_. She couldn’t get enough of it, nor her girlfriend (especially now that they were spicing things up in the bedroom).

“We still have a week and a half left and so much more to do,” Korra responded with a smile and reached over to grab her hand. 

“Yeah, but it feels like this trip wasn’t nearly long enough. I just wish we had more time before having to go back to all of the craziness.” 

“You mean where you go to your fancy job for 9 to 10 hours a day while I just flounder? Yeah, that’ll be pretty boring.” 

They stopped and stood on the peak of the bridge and Asami looked over at Korra in confusion. 

“You’re not floundering, you’re just trying to figure things out, which is perfectly fine.”

Korra shrugged and picked up a rock that sat on the railing, then she flung it out onto the river where it skipped four times. The ripples in the water caused the colors from the sky reflected in it to distort.

“Do you ever sometimes forget how big the world is?” Korra asked after a while. “It’s like when you move to places like California or New York, everything else seems so small in comparison because you think you could have everything you possibly need right there. But then you get to a place like this and it’s like… _Wow_. What am I missing? What am I even doing?”

A distant look appeared in her eyes as she stared over the bridge, and for a moment Asami could only watch as it happened. She’d seen that expression two other times on their trip: the day they arrived, and a week ago after the whole Fukumoto ordeal. She didn’t know if Korra even realized she was making it. But every time it happened, Asami felt a rise of panic that quickly made her want to get a handle on the situation before it festered into something more. 

“The way you’re talking right now kind of reminds me of when we were younger and all you wanted to do was move out of New York,” Asami said, peering over at Korra with interest. “Is there something you want to talk about?” 

Korra shook her head. “No, I’m just thinking out loud, I guess. But I did want to run something by you.” 

“I’m listening,” Asami said, though she wasn’t quite sold on Korra’s one-off explanation. 

Korra suddenly turned to her, appearing nervous. 

“It’s just that the apartment we have here is so nice.”

“Right…” 

“I’ve never had something as big as this or your place, and it's starting to make me wonder…” 

“Yes…” Asami unintentionally began to inch closer to Korra, excitement swirling in her gut. 

“I mean, I didn’t really mind the small space before, but since you come over all the time, I was thinking—” 

“Yes!” Asami blurted out before Korra could finish. 

Gorgeous blue eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” 

“Of course,” Asami nodded in earnest. So much relief spread through her that she felt like she had the ability to do anything, like walking on water. “I mean, it just makes sense when you think about it, right?” 

“Yeah, but how did you know? I only just saw the listing the other day.” 

“Listing?” Asami asked.

“Yeah. For the apartment above me,” Korra said, eyeing her in confusion, but when Asami stared back with just as much uncertainty, she continued on. “The one that’s for rent. The guy who lives there is supposedly moving out in August, and I was considering renting it out.” 

“Oh…” Asami’s heart sank in her chest, and she didn’t try to hide her look of disappointment. “So that’s all you wanted to ask me? My opinion on if you should move into that place?”

“Well, yeah. What did you think I was asking?” 

Asami sighed and opened her mouth to respond, but just at that very second a random stranger walked up to them. 

“Excuse me? Aren’t you Asami Sato?” he asked. 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” she said, shocked that she’d finally been recognized, and let go of Korra’s hand. 

“Wow! This is so cool. I’ve followed so much of your work. Your limited series Satobook’s with Apple were so impressive. I was disappointed when they sold out over here before I got a chance to get my hands on one.” 

“Yeah. Thanks,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, a habit she picked up from Korra. 

The man continued his appraisal of her work while she just smiled and nodded along. Usually if someone noticed her and tried to start up a polite conversation, she was more than happy to engage, but this stranger picked the worst possible moment to acknowledge her. From the corner of her eye she saw that Korra took a few steps away and turned back to look at what was left of the sunset, not even paying attention to the man’s babbling about Future Industries and how amazing it was. 

Asami knew it shouldn’t have surprised her that Korra clearly wasn’t on the same page as her, but _fuck_ did it hurt. She could feel a bubble of something unsettling in her stomach that made her want to lurch over, and it didn’t help that it was still pretty hot outside and she could feel the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. All she wanted was to go crawl up into a ball and wish away the utter embarrassment and stupidity she felt, however she couldn’t do that now. Not with Korra present, nor with this person currently in front of her talking her head off. 

After about five more minutes, she politely took a selfie with him and waved him off. Once he was out of ears reach, she turned back to Korra. 

“So much for being off the map,” she said under her breath. 

Korra finally looked at her, and for a solid moment she didn’t speak, causing some awkward tension to rise on Asami’s part. 

“I’m ready to go,” Korra said and then walked right by her, making her way off the bridge. 

Asami watched in puzzlement for several seconds, unable to process what just happened. From Korra’s pissed off look, to the sudden coldness in her tone, something in the air must’ve shifted, but, for the life of her, Asami had no idea what. Besides, if anything, shouldn’t _she_ be the one upset right now? 

With a look of pure defeat, she pushed a hand through her sweaty strands and followed after her fickle girlfriend. 

* * *

They got back to the apartment fifteen minutes later and Korra still hadn’t uttered a word. Asami didn’t try to start a conversation either, but once she saw Korra rip off her shoes and march right up the steps, she just about had it. 

Taking off her own shoes, she followed right after and found Korra in the bedroom about to remove her shirt. 

“Did I miss something?” she asked. “Why are you mad all of a sudden?” 

“I’m not mad,” Korra muttered back and then proceeded to throw her shirt in the hamper. 

“Oh really? Then why won’t you look at me?” 

That seemed to halt Korra in her acrimonious behavior, and she turned to Asami. 

“You let go,” she spoke in a judgmental tone. 

“Huh?” 

“Of my hand. When that guy came up to us and knew who you were, you let go.” 

Asami’s mouth opened in astonishment. She thought back to the moment and then shook her head. “That was nothing.” 

“It didn’t seem like nothing. It’s like for those five few minutes I didn’t even exist for you.” 

“That’s not true!” Asami yelled in outrage. “You were the only person I was thinking about when he was talking to me.” 

“Look, all I’m saying is that if you still have doubts about being in public with me—” 

“I don’t!” Asami intruded, stepping forward. “You’re overreacting. That was one moment out of how many that I’ve held your hand or kissed you in public?” 

“But that’s just the thing. You haven’t done any of those things,” Korra said. “Any sort of physical interaction we’ve had, it’s always been me to initiate it. Always.” 

“No,” Asami shook her head. “You’re wrong.”

“Oh yeah? When was the last time you so much as touched me in a non-platonic way in public?” 

Asami opened her mouth to give an answer, but as she thought back to just these past few days, she realized that she couldn’t recall a single moment where she made physical contact with Korra. 

“See?” Korra said when she noticed Asami’s hard-thinking expression. “You can’t deny it because it’s true.” 

“Even if that were the case, it's not like I'm cowering away from you when you choose to touch me," Asami said. "And since when were you even a fan of PDA?”

“I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I hate it or wouldn’t want to at least feel like I’m your girlfriend in public. But I don’t know. Maybe you just need more time and didn’t realize it until now, right before we go back to New York.” 

“That’s—” Asami started but stopped herself. The realization suddenly dawned on her. 

“What?” Korra asked, still standing there in only her bra and jeans.

“Is this why you don’t want to move in with me?” Asami asked.

The look on Korra’s face resembled someone who found a bomb placed at their feet. Her brows shot up, and the middle of her forehead wrinkled. Then she shifted her body toward the door, almost like she was preparing herself to run. 

“You want to move in together?” she asked after three weighted seconds passed. 

Asami sighed and wiped at her forehead, which hadn’t stopped sweating since they got back for some reason. “I’ve been hinting at it since before we even came on this trip. You really didn’t notice?” 

“Well, no, not really,” Korra replied, though she still wore that deer in headlights look. 

“And when you were coming up with this idea of moving into that other apartment, you didn’t even think to ask if I’d want to move in with you?” Asami asked, her somber tone matching the disappointment she felt. 

Korra’s expression relaxed some, but she still seemed diffident.

“Moving in together is a big step, Asami,” she said. “We’ve only been dating for five months.” 

“We have sleepovers at each other’s places every other day,” Asami argued. “I don’t think it’s a stretch of the imagination to just make it permanent. And you said so yourself that you like my place better than yours, plus it’s probably a way bigger space than that other apartment you’re looking at.” 

“I just… I don’t know. I think that’s moving way too fast,” Korra said. 

Asami’s breathing felt uneven, but it also matched her dwindling patience. 

"Well, some would say sleeping together after the first date would qualify as moving too fast, but that certainly didn't stop us." 

She didn’t mean to sound bitter, and seeing the taken aback look on Korra’s face made her regret her choice of words. 

“I’m sorry. What exactly are you trying to imply? That you suddenly regret sleeping with me?”

“No!” Asami said, closing her eyes at how horrible this conversation was going because of her lack of thought. “I’m just saying that I can’t believe out of everything we’ve been through together, you suddenly think moving in is too big of a step.” 

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to think that way if I didn’t feel like you’d rather keep me as your dirty little secret than actually claim me.” 

Asami breathed through the sting she felt at those words. She also felt her throat wanting to lock up as her stomach churned in on itself. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually suggesting something as ludicrous as that,” she managed to get out and then rubbed her hand over her face at the sudden wave of dizziness. “I only wanted to keep you safe these past few months, and I accomplished that. Now we’re here and I’ve done nothing but claim you.”

“Yeah. It just took being in an entirely different country where only a few less people know your name to accomplish that. In New York, your professional life will always have an effect on your private one, and it makes me think you’re never going to be comfortable being with another woman in public so long as you think the cameras are rolling.”

Asami wanted to throwback a retort, but everything in her body fought against her. She closed her eyes and covered her mouth, counting to herself and swaying back and forth on her feet to keep right side up. She heard Korra’s distant voice saying her name repeatedly in an urgent tone, then the feeling of a hand on her forehead.

“Oh, my god. You’re burning up,” Korra said, and then she cupped Asami’s cheek. 

At that touch, and with a vehement shake of her head, Asami pulled away and ran off to the bathroom to puke her guts out. 

* * *

Several vomiting spells and one dramatic EMS ride later, Korra paced back and forth in the waiting room like a maniac. 

She didn’t expect a peaceful night out to turn into this.

The minute Asami ran into the bathroom and hurled herself over the toilet, all of Korra’s growing frustrations flew out the window, and she could only think about making sure Asami was okay. While holding the hair out of her face, she frantically called for an ambulance, and then practically yelled at them once they got there to move faster.

Seeing Asami look so pallid and less vivacious caused a surge of fear to rise in Korra's chest. The only thing she could do was offer her hand for Asami to hold and repeatedly whisper that she would be okay, even though she didn’t know herself what was going on. 

Nervously, she pulled at her fingers and looked around. Two other people sat in the waiting room as well, both asleep. It was eleven at night and there were a couple of nurses roaming the halls during their graveyard shift. It’d been a while since she’d last been inside a hospital, and seeing as the reason behind it was due to a psychotic episode leading to a self-inflicted injury and then practically cursing up a storm when Kuvira revealed to the doctor that she was a recovering addict and ordering them not to administer her any narcotics… she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be in one now.

She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket and pulled it out. Speaking of Kuvira…

“Hey,” she answered. 

“I just saw your texts,” Kuvira said, sounding concerned. “How is she? Is it an appendicitis?” 

“No. Food poisoning last I heard.”

“Are you with her now?” 

“No. The nurses kicked me out of the room because I was ‘being too distracting,’” she spoke bitterly and even sent a nurse nearby a glare.

"It was probably for the best if she was as bad as you made it sound in the texts. Have you gotten any updates?"

“They said the doctor’s with her now.”

“Poor Asami,” Kuvira voiced with a sigh. “And how are you holding up?”

“Well, my girlfriend is currently in the hospital and I can’t get to her, so needless to say I’m freaking out just a smidge,” Korra said, albeit sarcastically. 

“I meant personally,” Kuvira said. “You have a really unhealthy relationship with hospitals.” 

Korra took a moment to pause and glance around at her surroundings again. The white walls and sterile environment made her skin crawl.

“I don’t want to be here, but I don’t have any other choice,” she admitted. 

“Just don’t think of where you are right now,” Kuvira advised. “Just focus on Asami.” 

“If only focusing on Asami didn’t mean having to think about how just before all of this we got into an argument,” Korra revealed. 

“About what?” 

She went and sat down in a chair far away from the other visitors and ran her fingers through her hair.

“Stupid shit. I kind of blew up on her and started questioning whether she really wanted to be with me in a public setting.” 

“Do you really believe that, or is that your insecurities talking?” Kuvira asked.

“Most likely the latter,” Korra said with a sigh. “It’s just that we’ve already done the whole sneaking around thing for months, and I don’t want to go back to that. I just want us to live our lives, but I get the feeling she’s still scared or whatever. And then she drops this huge bombshell on me about moving in together, and I don’t know what to think.” 

“Whoa. She wants to do a Uhaul?” Kuvira asked in surprise. 

“Yeah. That’s another thing we argued about.” 

“So you’re against it?”

“Kind of? I just think it’s too soon.”

“Are you really surprised, though? Every time I talk to you on the phone, you’re either at her apartment or she’s with you at yours,” Kuvira pointed out. 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready to move in together,” Korra said. “How can we even think about a step as big as that when we’re still not even on the same page about how public we want to be with each other?” 

“Is that really why you’re against it so much?” Kuvira asked. “Or is it something else?” 

Korra pushed a hand through her hair and bent over to rest her arms against her knees. 

“I’m currently jobless, show no signs of a career path, and feel like I’m wasting away. And if I move in with her, what if she realizes it was a mistake? That I’m going nowhere and that she doesn’t want to pick up all of my shattered, broken pieces anymore?” 

She stopped talking before her voice became shaky and uncontrolled. Her admission out loud created a euphoria of feelings: sadness, heartbreak, and irrational fear.

“You’re thinking about things that are so far off from happening,” Kuvira said after several seconds. “I promise you that the only person thinking about all of these worst-case scenarios here is you.” 

“Is that really such a bad thing?” Korra asked. “You of all people know what I went through to reach this point in my life where I’m actually happy, and I _ca_ _n’t_ fuck it up. She’s one of the only good things I’ve got going for myself right now and if I lose her—” 

“Whoa, calm down,” Kuvira stopped her. “No one’s losing anybody. You guys are going to be fine. Just breathe.”

On cue, Korra released a breath and closed her eyes. She couldn’t stop her knee from bouncing as more anxious thoughts came to mind. 

“I want to be the person she knows I can be,” she admitted. “We have this thing about having no expectations, but it’s so hard when I’m reminded of the different stages we are in life.” 

“I know it is,” Kuvira said. “But if she’s had this much patience with you so far, you’ve gotta believe that she’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Don’t trick yourself into believing anything else otherwise.”

Korra nodded, even though she knew Kuvira couldn’t see her. Looking up at the nurses station, she thought about going and asking for another update for the twentieth time. But just as she made to get up, a doctor came out of the double doors. He walked up to a nurse and said something to them, who then pointed over at Korra. After glancing over in her direction, he nodded and made his way over. 

“I have to go,” she said into the phone and hung up before Kuvira could respond. 

“Korra?” the doctor asked. “I’m Doctor Rivera.” 

“How is she?” she asked, standing up and skipping the pleasantries. 

“She caught a pretty nasty case of food poisoning, most likely due to some cross contamination at the restaurant you guys went to, and she’s got a pretty high fever. We’re going to keep her here over night just to monitor her, but she’s going to be just fine,” he said. 

Korra almost had to sit back down in her chair from the amount of relief she felt. 

“Can I see her now?” she asked after a moment. 

“Yes, you can. She’s heavily sedated however, so she may be asleep.”

Korra nodded headed in the direction he pointed to. Her footsteps felt heavy as she replayed their previous conversation over again. It all seemed so trivial now in the grand scheme of things. 

When she got to the room, she pulled back the curtain a bit and peeked inside. Asami lie there under the sheets with her eyes closed, breathing evenly. At first, Korra wondered if she’d been asleep, but then Asami shifted and turned her head, her eyes opening slowly. 

“Hey,” she said, her voice scratchy, most likely because of all the vomiting. She still looked pale and weak, but from the beeping monitor in the background that she’d been hooked up to, her heart had a steady beat.

Korra walked over and pulled up a chair to sit beside her. She paused when she saw an IV going into Asami’s arm, but then she quickly trained her gaze to focus on her girlfriend’s face alone.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Pretty terrible,” Asami said and shifted on the bed out of discomfort. 

Korra couldn’t keep her feelings of guilt at bay anymore. “I should’ve checked the ratings online, or picked a more vegetarian friendly restaurant—"

“It’s not your fault,” Asami said, holding out her hand for Korra to take. “Yeah, it sucks that it happened, but it could’ve happened anywhere. Maybe it’s what I deserve for being such a picky eater.”

“You don’t.” Korra shook her head and looked down. Her lips pressed together and she felt tears beginning to form.

“I’m really going to be okay,” Asami reassured her. 

Korra sniffed. “Yeah, I know. I’m just… sorry. I don’t like seeing you like this.” 

“You and me both. I haven’t been in a hospital since my mom’s last few months alive and I never planned on coming back inside one ever.”

“I’m sorry. If I’d been thinking, I could’ve just called for a home visit doctor instead of putting you through all of this.” 

She felt Asami’s hand on her neck and looked up to meet her tired but tentative gaze. 

“Quit blaming yourself over things,” she said. “You were worried about me, and that’s all I care about.” 

Korra released a half-attempted chuckle, but it only came out as a loud breath. “Of course I worried about you. I always do.” 

Asami smiled and rubbed her thumb along Korra’s collar bone, then she joined their hands again. 

“I feel so tired,” she murmured. 

Korra leaned over and kissed her warm forehead. “Rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up tomorrow.” 

“Mm. Promise?” Asami asked as her eyes started to close. 

“I promise.” 

Asami kept a small smile on her face and shut her eyes. Her breathing began to even out again, and a couple of minutes later, she fell asleep. 

Korra pressed her face against their joined hands and released a shaky breath. 

It really did suck that it took something like this to put things into perspective for her. No, Asami wasn’t dying or on her death bed, but the fact that just before this dramatic turn of events Korra was in her feelings about something as juvenile as who held whose hand first made her want to fold in on herself. She never cared for people knowing about her personal life anyway, so what the hell would Asami going public about it really do for their relationship aside from giving them unneeded and unwarranted attention? Just the thought of that made her rethink her stance on their whole debate. Sure, holding hands and sharing those quick, thoughtless gestures would’ve been nice because it was just them living in the moment without thinking about anyone else’s opinion on the matter, but Korra could live without it for now. At the end of the day, as long as she had Asami by her side, she had nothing to complain about. 

Asami _was_ her home, and knowing that eliminated any and all of those irrational fears that kept her from being with the woman she 100%, without a single doubt, knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. 

* * *

Asami had to stay in the hospital for an extra day after her temperature spiked to 103. The doctor wanted to be sure that she could at least keep her fluids down as well before signing off on her release, which Korra didn’t seem to mind at all. For the most part, she just watched Asami sleep and would leave only when Asami forced her to go eat and check on the apartment. 

They arrived back at the apartment earlier that morning. Currently, Asami reclined on the couch, watching tv and scrolling through her phone while Korra went out to grab her meds and a couple of groceries they would need for their final week in Florence.

It saddened her that they missed out on a couple of things because of her stupid impromptu sickness. It looked so beautiful outside for the past few days, too. Today she was even supposed to surprise Korra with a trip to Campania to go snorkeling on the coast of the pristine Cilento Peninsula. She knew her girlfriend would’ve loved that.

She retrieved her phone after going a week and a half without it and ignored the few calls, texts and the influx of emails she received. Instead, she went on Instagram. She had two accounts one: one for Future Industries promotion, and her personal account that had over 3 million followers. She scrolled through the latter and looked at a couple of photos from Bolin, Opal, and Ginger (who, of course, posted the most). She liked and commented on a few of them, but then she went to her own page and looked at some of the photos she took over the past month. Most were just scenery photos that entailed their traveling adventures, but she had a few of herself and Korra (even though Korra didn’t like taking photos all that much). Asami stared at one in particular for a long time of Korra taking a bite out of their shared ice cream parfait— though, she covered her face with her hand and you could only see one of her empyreal eyes that matched perfectly with the color of the clear sky behind her.

Glancing down, she noticed the simplistic caption she put underneath it: a sun emoji. 

It prompted her to look through the other couple of photos she had with her and Korra on her feed. Some of them were taken in front of famous sites, or in places where Asami found aesthetically pleasing. But none of them really gave off “couple vibes.” The captions didn’t allude to anything either. Since her comments were limited to only the people she followed (due to the Raiko ordeal that brought out more trolls), only the ones who actually knew the status of their relationship could comment, and they mostly just wished Asami the best of luck on her trip.

Now that she wasn’t regurgitating so much, or lain up in fetal position for the entirety of the day, she could think clearly about their conversation from a few days ago that they both seemed to be avoiding talking about for the moment. 

As much as it pained her to admit it, maybe Korra had a point. Maybe Asami did keep her at arms-length still, but she couldn’t say it’d been on purpose. Their relationship was one of the most precious things she had left that no one, not even the media, could tell her she was wrong about. It upset her to think about there ever coming a day where her relationship with Korra became a trending topic on Twitter. What if someone discovered who Korra was before they got together as a couple? And what if they tried to use that against Asami, or worse Korra herself? Her past wasn’t exactly PG friendly, and if people found out who she was and the kind of stuff she’d been into, Asami worried that Korra wouldn’t be able to handle that despite her brave face. 

Having been through all sorts of negative press herself, Asami knew how to block it all out and lie low until the media had more important things to talk about. So no, it wasn’t really about her being worried about people’s perception of their relationship, however, it had everything to do with worrying about Korra’s mental state and people attacking her for no good reason. 

But in the end, that wasn’t really her decision to make, was it? Korra _wanted_ to be seen with her. She didn’t care about anything other than the two of them being comfortable in their own relationship. Her past was in her past and she moved on with her life—with Asami. The only thing anyone could dig up about her was the empty shell of a woman who had long since outgrown it. 

With the bite of her lip, she opened her camera roll and found the most recent photo she took of Korra. It was from the hospital the day before, early in the morning, with a sliver of light peeking through the curtains of the window. Korra’s hand remained in hers even as she slept in a chair, hunched over with her arms folded on top of Asami’s bed. Asami remembered waking up to that and her heart melting. It still did. 

She picked out the photo from the several hundred stored in her gallery and wrote a small caption.

 _‘Got food poisoning at the worst possible time, but with a girlfriend like her, I know I’m in good hands_ _❤'_

After that, she checked over the photo one last time and then hit ‘post.’

Feeling proud, she put the phone down on the floor and settled into the couch with ease, patiently waiting for Korra to return. 

* * *

Korra walked through the piazza with two bags in each hand. After going to pick up Asami’s medication and some groceries, she went and grabbed some dinner for them both (a salad for her and some soup for Asami). The doctor said Asami shouldn’t try to eat anything too heavy for the next couple of days and Korra took that seriously. They’d have to be on a plane in a week, and if Asami didn’t feel better by then, they’d probably have to cancel their flight. Not that Korra really minded it all that much. 

She would miss all of the gorgeous sceneries and the nepenthe effect it had on her, or opening up the windows in the bedroom at dusk and being greeted by the top of the Dome that looked picturesque in front of a pink-orange skyline as the city came alive. If she had it her way, she and Asami would never leave this place. 

As she approached the tower and apartment building, she noticed the psychic reading woman sitting at her usual table with her hands folded and waiting patiently, as if she were perfectly comfortable waiting there even if no one came up to her. She smiled as Korra attempted to walk by. 

“Ciao." 

“Ciao,” Korra replied. 

“I can sense your melancholy from here,” the woman said. 

Instead of finding her introspection annoying, Korra chuckled and stopped in front of the table. 

“Is that supposed to be your hook? Is this the part where I stop and become so wowed by your ability to read people’s facial expressions and then cough up a large amount of money for you to tell me a bunch of general statements?” 

The older woman smiled, clearly not offended. 

“I take it that you’re not a believer,” she said. 

“I’ve seen this type of set-up all the time in New York where people manipulate and feed off of strangers desperation and weakness just to make a quick buck.” 

“I see. That’s very unfortunate, but I’m not that kind of psychic. My readings are 100 percent real and accurate. I’ve traveled around the world doing what I do and helping many strangers.” 

“Yeah, it just comes with a price tag,” Korra pointed out, folding her arms. 

“I’ve come across many people like you who don’t believe in the things I do, and I’m fine with that. My goal isn’t to pressure anyone into getting a reading from me, but if they do find themselves curious or needing introspect, then I kindly offer my services. However, I will say that in your case specifically, I have a feeling you’re a lot less skeptical than you make yourself out to be. Your spiritual guide tells me that at least.” 

“No, not really,” Korra said in denial. “I’m not exactly a spiritual person, nor do I have a kind of faith, so all of this stuff just comes off as a con job in my eyes. No offense.” 

“None taken. And I hope you’re not offended when I say that you’re wrong.” 

“Not at all.” Korra turned and prepared to walk away, but for some reason her knees locked into place, keeping her there. She looked at the woman again who just kept that pleasant, calm smile on her face. With a sigh, she turned back to her. “Tell me something then. About myself that nobody else knows.” 

The woman contemplated it for a second and then nodded. She reached into her grey hair and pulled out a pen she stuck through her headpiece, then picked up the notepad in front of her. Korra watched as she closed her eyes and did nothing for a while, instead looking like a frozen statue. But when the wind gently blew against her face, causing her dangling earrings to jingle, her lips pulled downward and her pen moved on the paper. She scribbled and drew, then wrote a couple of things down. The process continued for almost a minute, and then she opened her eyes and looked at Korra. 

“You’ve gone through much adversity in your life,” she started. “Time and time again you’ve stumbled and have fallen, but you never stay down. Your spiritual guide continues to keep you uprooted no matter the situation you find yourself in. You’ll always get back up and live to see another day because of that unwavering persistence and strength you’ve attained on your own.” 

Just as Korra opened her mouth to make a sarcastic remark that most of the "psychic's" introspect was common knowledge, the woman raised her hand and stopped her. 

“That strength of yours extends beyond so many of your limits… And I believe you know that, too, which is exactly why you didn’t jump that day.” 

Korra’s entire body went ice cold. She stared at the woman in trepidation and, with caution, took a step back. At the same time, she thought back to a cold winter's night a few years ago that she long since buried. It took quite some time for her to erase it from her mind and forget about it, and she believed she managed to accomplish that... Up until now, that is.

“No way,” she muttered, still in part disbelief but also denial at the woman’s accurate perusal. 

“Sit down, dear. Aunt Wu will let you have this one on the house,” she said, continuing to scribble in her notebook. 

On one hand, Korra had half the good sense to run the hell away from the seemingly prophetic woman, but on the heavier hand her curiosity grew. 

She sat down with apprehension and watched Aunt Wu closely in her focused state—almost like she was in a trance. Her pen kept moving across the page, and at this point Korra wondered if anything she wrote was even legible. 

“You seem to be doing a lot better as of late,” she spoke after a few moments. 

Korra swallowed. “I am, yes.” 

“That’s good. For someone who’s had the kind of life you’ve had, it’s not so easy to start a new one.” She smiled warmly but her eyes were still closed as she kept drawing. Then, the middle of her forehead creased. “However, I’m getting the feeling that there’s a part of you that’s disconnected from the rest. You still crave parts of that life you once had even if you don’t necessarily want it. That struggle will remain for quite some time.” 

Korra almost rolled her eyes at that. It was just one of the many things she had in common with the millions of other recovering addicts in the world. 

“Will it have an effect on my relationship?” she asked. 

The woman drew more and then tilted her head back and forth. 

“It will at times, yes, but ultimately no. Your lover has a very strong pull on you that keeps you from making irrational decisions. There's an intense bond that you two share, and I can see the interweaving of two souls or flames.” She opened her eyes and looked at Korra. “This person is the woman you’re here with?” 

Korra nodded after pausing for a few seconds to soak up the psychic’s previous words. “Yeah, that’s her.” 

“Hmm,” Aunt Wu smiled. “She’s got a really great aura surrounding her from what I’ve seen; full of energy and optimism.” 

Korra smiled a little as well. “That’s definitely her.” 

“She's had her own struggle as well, I see, and all that pain and suffering the both of you have endured is what draws you two back together every time. I think you guys give something to one another that the other is missing or lacks. You’ve got a pretty bright aura around yourself, but it’s that darkness you’ve surrounded yourself with over the years that’s dimmed it, but being with her makes the light burgeon far more than anything else. You two make a beautiful pair.” 

“Thanks,” Korra said, her cheeks darkening as she rubbed the back of her neck. 

“You’re going to really need her to lean on for this upcoming struggle you'll go through. Not now, but soon.” 

Korra’s smile dissipated and she leaned forward. “What is it?” 

“For those details, you’ll have to pay.” 

“Heh.” She sat back in the chair. For those several minutes, she almost forgot where she was and the dozens of people around them. “I will admit that you certainly had me indulged.” 

Aunt Wu laughed. “You see? It’s not so—how you say— ‘con’ as you American’s like to believe, is it?” 

“I’m not American.” Korra got up from the chair. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a couple of euros and handed them over. “Here you go.” 

“You don’t want to stay for a full reading?” 

“No. I think I’ve heard all I wanted to hear.” 

“So then you believe?” Aunt Wu smirked. 

“I'm maybe five percent less skeptical,” Korra clarified and then smiled. “Thanks for your time.” 

She picked up her grocery bags that she placed on the ground and stood up. But just as she turned, Aunt Wu reached out and grabbed her by the arm. When Korra looked back over to her, she felt goosebumps trek up her skin at the borderline possessed look on the prescient woman’s face. 

“That little bit of darkness still resides. Tread carefully."

Korra gaped at her and then looked down at the hand grasping around her arm in warning. 

“Okay…” she said. 

Aunt Wu shook her head back and forth, looking like she didn’t know what came over her, and then let go and sat back down in her chair. 

Korra continued to stare, but when another person came up and asked for a reading, the older woman turned her full attention onto them. She greeted them politely and offered them a seat, but for a second, she glanced back over at Korra and gave her a wink. 

Blinking, Korra walked away, looking over her shoulder at the table one last time in perplexity. 

That had to have been a load of bullshit, right? It just didn’t seem possible for a random stranger to know so many personal details about her life, let alone her future. It wouldn’t surprise her in the slightest if she was fed the stuff that she wanted to hear and given ominous details about some “event” that would supposedly happen in the future in order to get her hooked. Maybe there were certain levels of a con job depending on how skeptical the person was. 

Getting up to the apartment, she unlocked the door and walked inside, handling the food and groceries with care as she approached the kitchen. To her surprise, however, she found Asami there leaning against the small open window in nothing but a t-shirt and panties, but upon hearing Korra approach, she turned around. 

“Hey,” she spoke in a soft tone. 

“Hey.” Korra sat the bags down on the counter. “What are you doing up?” 

“I needed to move around for at least five minutes,” Asami said. 

“And does your stomach agree with you on that?” 

“Not really.” 

“I thought so,” Korra said with a smile. She reached out her hand and Asami took it with gratefulness. They walked over to the living room area and sat on the couch where Asami had been lounging. Korra put the blanket over top of them, and at the same time Asami leaned against her shoulder. 

“Did they give you any trouble about the medication?” she asked. 

“Nah. I should warn you that it’s a liquid one, though.” 

Asami made a disgusted noise. “Gross.” 

“I know, but it’ll make you feel better. I also brought you some soup.” 

“Thank you,” Asami said and relaxed more against her, sighing as she did. 

“You sure you don’t need to lie down?” Korra asked. 

“Nah, I’m okay. Just a little bummed because we were supposed to be scuba diving right now.” 

“What? Really?” Korra asked with intrigue. 

“Yeah. I was going to surprise you with it. There’s this really cool place in Campina that I heard about. I’m sure you would’ve loved it.” 

“Maybe we can go another time.” 

Asami didn’t respond and put her palm on top of Korra’s, splaying their fingers. Korra watched this, admiring their contrasting skin tones and the softness of Asami’s hand in hers. 

“About our argument the other day,” Asami started. “I’m sorry. You were right.” 

“Asami, no—” 

“Wait, please,” Asami said, lifting her head to look at Korra with earnest eyes. “Please let me say this.” When Korra closed her mouth and nodded, she continued. “I think there was a subconscious part of me that didn’t want us to be public, but it’s not because I don’t want people to know we’re together. It’s because we have something so special and I’m just afraid that those people will try to ruin it. You have no idea how important being with you like this means to me. It’s like sometimes I think I need to be the only person in the room to breathe in all of the oxygen because of the way you make me feel. And it’s because of those feelings that I just assumed you felt the same way and would want to rush into something as big as moving in with me, but it’s fine if you don’t want that right now. I’m okay with that. And I’m also okay with being in public with you so long as it’s still what you want. I mean, the press will be annoying for a few weeks, and there’s a slight possibility that your past might come up, but maybe we can spin the narrative or something in our favor? I worked with this really awesome PR guy when I first started up Future Industries again, so maybe I can call him in for a consultation. This is just me throwing out ideas—” 

“Asami,” Korra interrupted her rambling. 

“Uh, yeah?” Asami’s eyes focused on her again. 

Korra leaned forward, forcing Asami backward until she rested against the arm of the couch. 

“It feels so impossible to not kiss you right now,” Korra said. 

Asami stared up at her with questioning eyes that widened at her confession. And when Korra leaned down closer, brushing their noses together and breathing against Asami’s cheek, that beautiful smile of hers broke out across her face. 

“I don't know, I'm pretty sure I'm still contagious," she said. 

"We've been breathing the same air for the past 48 hours, and your fever finally broke this morning." 

"Your point being?" 

"Fuck it." Korra covered Asami’s lips with her own, shifting on top of her and being cautious of accidentally pressing against her too hard. She sighed when she felt Asami’s fingers run through her hair and the slight tease of her tongue. Once they pulled apart, she pressed their foreheads together. “I gave up my studio this morning."

Asami immediately pushed Korra’s face back to peer up at her. “What?” 

“I have to be moved out by the end of June.”

 _“What?”_ Asami said again, looking dumbfounded. “Are you serious?”

“More than ever.” Korra put her hand against Asami’s cheek. “ _You_ were the one who was right. It makes all the sense in the world for us to move in together and I was just scared.”

“Scared of what?” Asami whispered. 

“Of it not working, or of you possibly changing your mind and not wanting to be with me like this.”

“How could you even think something as absurd as that?” Asami asked and then pulled Korra’s face closer. “I made up my mind a long time ago that I’m never letting you go again. Unless you ever decided to leave, you’re stuck with me.”

“I’m never going to leave you,” Korra said, looking into Asami’s eyes sternly. “Ever.” 

Asami smiled and lightly pushed on Korra’s shoulders to let her up, which Korra allowed, but then Asami reversed their positions, putting herself on top of Korra. 

“Then it’s a sealed lock,” she whispered. “Neither of us leaves.”

“Nope. Never,” Korra agreed and wrapped both of her arms around Asami’s body, holding her close. “I’ll put bolts on our door if I have to.”

Asami raised her head, revealing a huge smile on her face. “Our door?”

Korra pushed a hand through the black veil of hair hiding away Asami’s face and held her there to share a deep, meaningful gaze. “Yes. Our door to _our_ apartment.”

Asami leaned down and passionately brought their lips together again, moaning as Korra’s hands roamed underneath her shirt to touch the smooth skin there. When she pulled back, she groaned and put her face into Korra’s neck.

“I’d totally have sex with you right now, but I think all of this moving around has made me a little nauseous,” she spoke in a solemn tone.

Korra chuckled. “It’s okay. You’ll just have to owe me later when we're both not sick anymore.” 

“Hell yeah, I will. Oh, and also…” Asami rose up for a second and reached down on the floor to grab her phone that was sitting there. After coming up, she moved off of Korra slightly and fit inside the tiny space between her and the couch. Holding the phone up in front of their faces, she pulled up her Instagram. “I posted this if that’s okay?” 

Korra grabbed the phone to see the photo better and then smiled. “You took this at the hospital?” 

“Yeah, and how couldn’t I? You look so adorable when you sleep. Apparently the 50,000 people who liked in under an hour agree with me, too.” 

Korra continued to stare at it, but then her eyes lowered and she saw the caption underneath. With a smile, she looked over at Asami.

“Wow. You must really like me to claim me so boldly on Instagram, huh?”

Asami laughed and kissed her cheek. “You’re all right, I guess.” 

Korra kept smiling and scrolled down to look at the thousands of likes and twenty comments. Most of the people she didn’t recognize, but she did see Ginger commenting with heart eyes, matching with the other responses Asami received. But then, coincidentally enough, a new comment popped up that had her raising a brow.

“Mako said he hopes you feel better,” she said. 

“Oh, really?” Asami asked and took her phone back. She stared at the comment for a moment and then looked back at her. “I thought he would’ve unfollowed me by now.”

“Who knows. Maybe this is a start,” Korra said.

“Ah well. That’s something to deal with when we get home.” She turned off the phone and dropped it to the floor, then she nestled more into Korra’s arms. “All I want to think about right now is us and everything good that’s coming.”

“Yeah,” Korra agreed. 

She was officially ready to start a new chapter in their relationship, and nothing would get in the way of that. Not some old lady with her magic ball, or Mako’s wishy-washy ways with Asami. The only thing that mattered right now was _them_ and the happiness they would continue to bring each other. The one thing this trip to Florence successfully managed to do was prove how strong they were together despite any and all hiccups that came their way.

Flames, souls, or whatever entwined, that bond between them would never break. And Korra felt sorry for anything or anyone who dared to even try. 

**Author's Note:**

> **TW: mentioning of past self-inflicted injury and suicidal ideation**


End file.
